Urban Transport

Shared-mobility seated e-scoot rides the road to commercial release

Shared-mobility seated e-scoot rides the road to commercial release
After clocking up millions of road miles through ridesharing, Veo is responding to requests from customers and launching its Cosmo seated electric scooter for private ownership
After clocking up millions of road miles through ridesharing, Veo is responding to requests from customers and launching its Cosmo seated electric scooter for private ownership
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After clocking up millions of road miles through ridesharing, Veo is responding to requests from customers and launching its Cosmo seated electric scooter for private ownership
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After clocking up millions of road miles through ridesharing, Veo is responding to requests from customers and launching its Cosmo seated electric scooter for private ownership
The Cosmo X is available in a number of color combinations, and can even sound a personal greeting through the built-in speaker system
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The Cosmo X is available in a number of color combinations, and can even sound a personal greeting through the built-in speaker system
The top speed is reported to be just 17 mph, while per-charge range from the removable battery is around 45 miles
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The top speed is reported to be just 17 mph, while per-charge range from the removable battery is around 45 miles
The Cosmo X is built with durable rideshare DNA, and can be optioned with a front basket
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The Cosmo X is built with durable rideshare DNA, and can be optioned with a front basket
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Back in 2020, electric rideshare company Veo launched a seated electric scooter that combined "the comfort of an ebike with the throttle-powered joy of an e-scooter." Now riders in the US can hop on a Cosmo of their very own.

The company is reported to have been operating in over 50 shared mobility markets across North America for more than five years, and has received numerous requests for a Cosmo seated e-scoot that can be privately owned.

"The wait is over," said Veo co-founder and CEO, Candice Xie. "You can now own your ride, custom-designed to match your style. There’s never been a better time to ditch your car for the thrill of an all-electric ride in the bike lane."

The Cosmo X can throttle to a top speed of 17 mph (27.35 km/h) thanks to its 500-W rear-hub motor and 45-mile (72-km) removable Li-ion battery combination, so is best suited to inner-city commutes or short urban hops to haul shopping home in the optional front basket.

The top speed is reported to be just 17 mph, while per-charge range from the removable battery is around 45 miles
The top speed is reported to be just 17 mph, while per-charge range from the removable battery is around 45 miles

The original Cosmo was designed with the rigors of rideshare usage in mind, and riders are promised similar durability from the new X flavor. It's built around a 6061 aluminum-alloy frame that supports a maximum load of 350 lb (158 kg), and features integrated LED lighting. A suspension fork and 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in "ultra-durable" pneumatic tires should help smooth out uneven terrain, while stopping power is provided by mechanical drum brakes front and back, plus regenerative braking.

Bluetooth and 4G LTE connectivity are cooked in, there's a built-in alarm and auto-locking wheels, along with GPS tracking and app-based keyless unlocking. The e-scoot can even be setup to sound a personalized greeting via the Veo Voice speaker system.

The Cosmo X is available on the company's webstore now in a choice of colors for a starting price of US$3,899, though Tech Crunch reports that there's currently a three-month wait time and that the initial batch will be limited to a thousand units.

A version called the Cosmo S that's available in just one color option and doesn't appear to offer the custom greeting has also been launched for $2,899.

Product page: Cosmo X

View gallery - 4 images
3 comments
3 comments
Trylon
I don't see how this thing is legal. It doesn't even have the basically cosmetic cranks that their regular e-bikes have. (Every time I see someone on a Veo, they're not pedaling.) That means it's not legally an e-bike, so it must be a scooter, which is a motor vehicle. In many states, it will require a drivers license, registration and insurance.
jerryd
Won't do well as too costly for something that costs about $600 to make. And doesn't even have a rack and hard to put one on.
In the US it needs to be 20mph to fit most of our laws vs 16.5mph? =20KPH? is a Euro spec without a DL, etc. And legal most places.
Bike share like this really is a losing business with every one failing as the investment money runs out. They need to move to daily to monthly leasing from a shop greatly cutting labor, theft, vandalism costs that make rideshare not viable.
jayedwin98020
All this scooter appears to be is a very over-priced toy, that doesn't have enough power to even get out of it's own way.

My guess is this company is just trying to get in on the current e-scooter bandwagon while the market is hot.

Here's the other thing, which I find rather insulting, it's their price points. Take a look at their website,
a small basket add-on, if purchased separately, is $168.00. And it doesn't specify whether it's metal
or molded plastic. At least they should offer a 'carry option' that would allow to carry more than
just a couple of bottles of water!

Finally, how safe would this scooter actually be in traffic, on only surface streets, if your top speed,
at best, is less than 17 mph?

This scooter seems to be lacking a lot in functionality and usability, unless your only goal is to go
for short rides on your very expensive e-scooter.

As for me, a hard PASS!